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Designing Streets for safety,
accessibility, and comfort in
African cities
Stefanie [email protected]
Urban Mobility Unit UN-Habitat
You need
to be
brave…
How Nairobians Travel…
Nairobi is a Walking City –but pedestrians are the “forgotten species”
Road accident fatalities in
Nairobi, 2014
Source: Transportation Unit, Nairobi City County, 2014 (- In: Nairobi NMT Policy, 2015)
Nairobi’s Pedestrians at risk
Prevent accidents through speed control
6
Keeping vehicle speed low is crucial for pedestrian/cycling safety
Source: ITDP
Slower Speed saves lives
Motor vehicle speeds
above 30 km/h
significantly increase
the risk of fatalities
Source: ITDP
All streets need slow zones
8
For narrow ROWs, the
entire width should be
designed as a slow zone
On wider streets, a separate
slow zone is necessary
A guide for improved street design for African Cities
9
Footpaths
Footpath design: A zoning system
Clear demarcation of 3 zones:
1. Pedestrian zone: continuous
space for walking (minimum 2 m)
2. Frontage zone: buffer between
street-side activities and the
pedestrian zone
3. Furniture zone: space for
landscaping, furniture, lights,
bus stops, signs and private
property access ramps
Pedestrian zone
Furniture
zone
Frontage
zone
A zoning system
Footpaths should be elevated above the carriageway, with a kerb height of no more than 15 cm
Flat walking surfaces & guide tiles contribute to accessibility for
people with disability
Space for Street Vending can be provided outside the
pedestrian zone
Property entrances
Footpath should maintain a constant level, while vehicles
should use ramps to reduce speed
Crossings
Design Example: Crossing
20
Ramps to
reduce vehicle
speeds
Pedestrians remain at
the level of the footpath
Safe At-Grade Crossings
Pedestrians remain at level of footpath
Ramps
At-Grade Crossings slow down vehicles and provide pedestrian safety
If possible, avoid: Foot overbridges & subways
• In an attempt to increase motor vehicle speeds, at-grade pedestrian crossings are frequently replaced by foot overbridges or subways
• But these facilities are often inaccessible and have drawbacks, such as:
• Increase in travel time
• Lack of universal access
• Obstructions on footpaths
• Prohibitive cost
• Harassment and other crimes
• Increased vehicle speeds
Preferred choice by pedestrians: At grade crossing
Crash data analysis for Nairobi
• Foot overbridges are not always preventing pedestrian deaths at crossing locations
Source: ITDP
Intersections
Safe Intersection Design
• direct, intuitive pedestrian crossings
• reflect pedestrian desire lines, avoid detours
• crossing distances should be minimised
• pedestrian refuges large enough to handle observed pedestrian volume
Sharp corner forces cars to slow down
Source: ITDP
Turning Radius determines Vehicle Speed
Transition Experiments: Open Streets/ Placemaking Events
• Transition experiments … are short-term actions through which alternative street designs, mobility cultures, and practices are explored
• To activate streets as public spaces through low cost interventions (pop up activities)
UN-Habitat Project Example: Bucaramanga
Nairobi Placemaking Week
Kampala – Streets as Public Spaces
Kampala – linkage to NMT plans of City
Thank you!
